PHILADELPHIA -- If he had been picked in the first round, Nick Foles wouldn’t be the subject of such a wide variety of opinions.

When first-round rookie quarterbacks have an occasional clunker fans don’t lose hope because they assume the future is bright regardless. When first-round rookie quarterbacks have great games, fans get excited and figure many more will follow.

Foles, who is auditioning to be the Eagles’ future cornerstone, was picked in the third round, 88th overall. Even with last year’s emergence of second-rounder Andy Dalton, outdone this year by third-rounder Russell Wilson, there’s still a stigma about quarterbacks drafted outside of the first round and the limit to their potential.

That’s why reactions covered both ends of the spectrum last week after Foles swashbuckled the Buccaneers for an Eagle-rookie record 381 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, the last of which found the hands of Jeremy Maclin at the buzzer to pull off the 23-21 stunner. Foles then responded with 180 yards and a 48.5 completion percentage four days later in a Thursday night blowout loss to the Bengals.

After the Bucs win, which snapped the team’s eight-game losing streak, Foles was hailed as a conquering hero and the quarterback of the future. After the Bengals loss, Foles faced questions about his arm strength and accuracy.

The reality is this: Foles, like any rookie quarterback, is an incomplete picture after just six NFL games. Nobody can tell if he has the “it” factor that separates good quarterbacks from special ones.

But when measured against some of his fellow rookie gunslingers from what’s considered one of the richest drafts for quarterback, Foles has already shown that he’s far from being the black sheep of the 2012 class.

“Nick’s got an opportunity here to develop and I know this, he’s got an opportunity to be very good," Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "With my experience—and I’ve coached a lot of great ones—the difference between really good and great is up to that individual player and almost unknown in league games for a period of time. I know more than most from afar because we are in the building every day and I will say this: He is built the right way. He’s got some great qualities and some great strengths.”

After six games and 217 passes, Foles has completed just under 60 percent of his passes, thrown for 1,354 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions and compiled a passer rating of 77.6—numbers that compare very favorably to Andrew Luck’s first 221 passes.

Luck, the No. 1 overall pick who has the Colts on the fast track to a playoff berth, completed just 53 percent of his passes and registered a 71.9 passer rating in his first five games, throwing the same number of touchdowns as interceptions (seven).

Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III completed almost 67 percent of his first 223 passes and had rung up a passer rating of 97.3—numbers that far outshine Foles’—but Griffin is the front-runner for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award and is blessed with the kind of athleticism and running ability that forces defenses to play him differently than drop-back passers like Foles.

Wilson had better numbers than Foles on his first 221 throws—a 61-percent completion percentage and 82.4 passer rating—but the disparity isn’t formidable.

Luck, Griffin and Wilson each had the benefit of starting since Day 1 and the chance to grow and develop with their respective teammates throughout the season.

Foles was tossed into the fire nine games into the season after Michael Vick was concussed, with his team at 3-5 and in the midst of a four-game losing streak and with injuries decimating the offense.

Along with playing behind offensive line starting four backups at the five spots, Foles has played five of his six games without Pro Bowl halfback LeSean McCoy, three games without McCoy and Pro Bowl wideout DeSean Jackson and two games without McCoy, Jackson and tight end Brent Celek.

After a rocky starting debut against the Redskins on Nov. 18, when he completed just 46 percent of his passes and threw two picks, Foles bounced back to compete 76.2 percent of his throws the following Sunday against Carolina and cobbled together a streak of more than 120 consecutive passes without an interception until he threw one against the Bengals last Thursday.

Foles’ last two games this year come against the white-hot Redskins and defending Super Bowl champion Giants, two teams fighting to make the postseason. He’s already shown he can hold his own in this league. After these next two games, we might even see if he can be special.